Automatic firearm



2 Sheets-Sheet l NNN f L. STANGE AUTOMATIC FIREARM .Filed Oct. 10, 1931 yll//l//l//l Feb. 23, 1932.

INVENTU R: HA/JA LoL/s fa T/ycl vil n ,MTU RN' EM EM n j Filed Oct. 10. 19251 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 23, 1932 UNITED .STATES PATENT OFFICE MUIS STAN GE, SOMMERDA, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO RHEINISCHE METALLWAAREN- I UND MACHINENFABRIK, OF DUSSELDORF-DERENDORF, GERMANY, A. CORPORATION 0F GERMANY AUTOMATIC FIREABM Application filed October 10, 1931, Serial No. 568,181, and in Germany October 20, 1930.

This invention relates to an automatic firearm wherein the closure member which has run back upon firing is again thrown forward bythe hammer spring by means of the hammer. 'In the known weapons of this nature the spring which forms the hammer spring anfd closure spring exerts adriving effect uponthe closure member only during .a portion of the forward-running movement of the same, and indeed only until the hammer is held in its cocked position by the trigger. From that point on, the closure member, in order to give the hammer room for its subsequent ignit-ing movement, continues its way alone, forwardly into the firing'position, with the barrel, as a result of the momentum previouslyimparted'thereto or. already connected with the previously retained barrel in a rearward tcnsioncd position, is further car- Q ried -aloug by its advancing means.

In the arrangement in accordance with the invention` the closure element during its whole forward movement in the firearm is subjected to the forward driving action of the hammer spring andthe remaining-behind of the-hammer necessary for the igniting movement isfattained, or in other words the forward movement of the latter with respect to the hammer is produced, by elemen-ts arranged between these two parts, which during the closing movements are forced apart wedgewise, by positive guiding, between supporting surfaces of the closure element and the. hammer.

vThese tensioning elements may be so formed and arranged that they themselves hold the forward running closure element and the hammer pressed apart in their mutual strainedposition until the firing and then either automatically, in dependence upon the running-in of the closure element into its forward end position, in the firearm. or, as,` by means of elements connected With the drawing device. are disengaged only by mean-1 or" the trigger deviccft'or 'freeing the irminer. lt would also. however. be possii nie from the tension elements proper, .fw prwvulr special, locking elements which will function of holding r'hc closure :mal the hammer in the tensed position given these two elements by the tension elements. The tension elements are movably located either on the closure element or on the hammer. Then the tensing takes place by turning the tension element carrier about the longitudinal axis relatively to the other part by means of a suitable cam guide in the closure housing.

The device in accordance with the invention is suitable for all automatic firearms having a longitudinally movable closure element, regardless of the arrangement of the barrel (stationary or sliding barrel), the nature of closure (latched or unlatched closure) and the firing device (direct forward running firing through the forward-snapping closure element, or indirect firing by a latching element of the trigger device, which still maintains the hammer under tension with a locked closure). The closure element is thereby disengaged positively from the hammer, in dependence upon the position of the hammer, and is brought forward with certainly into its forward end position in the firearm. The spring, which drives forward the hammer as well as the closure element, may, with a sliding barrel, also carry along the same back from its backward position, so that the special barrel-return device, heretofore necessary for this purpose, is eliminated.

The drawings show an exemplary embodiment of the invention in the form of an automatic firearm with a sliding barrel, latchable closure, and forward run firing, in longitudinal section, in various positions of operation.

In said drawings:

Fig. 1 shows the utensioned firearm with forwardly moved parts and latched closure, immediately after firing a shot.

Fig. 2 shows the same after the shot, with the barrel moved back and the closure element thereby unlatched during said running back thereof, i

Fig. 3 shows the succeeding forward movement of the closure element at the instant of tensioning the hammer, and

Fig. et shows it shortly before firing the .succeeding shot.

ln the cylindrical housing c of the firearm are shiftablyv arranged the barrel b and the closure shell 0 connected therewith. Into the closure shell c enters the closure element d which is so guided as to be longitudinally shiftable but not rotatable and is provided with locking threads d1, and which is latch able with the closure shell by means of a counter-threaded member e1 screwed upon the rear end thereof, with the locking threads d1 of the ring e which carries the closure elements. The ring e is turned in known manner vby means of a lug e2 engaging in cam guides al of the housing upon the moving of the c losure shell c, for the unlocking or the subsequent locking of the closure, in known manner.

In the closure element d, is shiftablysupported the hammer f, upon the thickened rear end f1 of which presses a preliminarily tensioned spring g whose other end bears against the rear end surface of the housing a ofthe firearm. The same spring g constitutes at one and the same time the hammer spring, closure spring, and the forwardmoving spring for the barrel. In the' head f1 of the hammer, is swingably supported a double armed tension lever or trigger h, one arm k1 of which, acted upon by the first turn of the spring g, cooperates with the rear end surface of the closure element d and the second arm h2 of which cooperates with an elongated lug a2 of the housing a of the firearm, which projects into its path, in a manner which will be explained. in greater detail hereinafter. 1

In the description of the operation of the firearm, let us consider first the position of the parts shown in Fig. 1, according to which the barrel b together with the closure shell 0 and theJ closure element d, which is locked thereby through the ring e, assume their forward end positions in the housing a. After the firing of the cartridge, which is located in the barrel, these parts first travel together in common a certain distance, in their lockedtogether condition, until, after the rotation of the locking ring e produced by the cam guides al of the housing and th'e stopping ofV theclosure shellc together with the parts e and b located thereon by means of a stop on the housing, not shown, the closure element d makes the return travel alone together with the hammer fsupportedtherein. Hereby, by a travel of the tension lever arm h2 over the elongated lug L of the housing, the second arm hl of the-tension lever h upon which the l s rino d resses directly. is swun to the A P s P g rear. After sliding back behind the lug or strip a2, the tension vlever arm z-l again returns to the position shown in Fig. l. in which it projects into the'eld of the strip ca; the

hammer f itself attains its forward end posi-v g acting thereon through the hammer f, the arm h2 of the tension lever L strikes against the rear edge of the strip a2 and is thereby transiently retained, while the hammer f and thereby also the closure element d continue their travel forwardly. The second arm hl of the tension lever L is swung forwardly against the end surface d2 of the closure element d which is somewhat inclined forwardly, and thereby acting like a knee lever, gives to the closure element d a forward motion with re spect to the hammer f, and to an extent necessary for the subsequent firing movement of the hammer f. The tension lever h remains in this tension position, thus given thereto, during the further forward movement of the closure element which first produces a locking of the closure element d with the closure shell c, heretofore retained in known way in its rearward position, whereupon the closure ele ment d, the closure shell c and the barrelproceed ahead in locked-together position, into their forward end positions in the housing a of the firearm. The hammer f is thereby tensioned. Directly before the forward sliding parts reach their` end positions in the housing, the arm h2 of the tensioning lever h slides past the forward edge of the elongated lug or strip a2 and the hammer f, under the pressure of the spring g which presses the tension lever arm l1,1 sidewise, springs into the closure element d which meanwhile has come to rest, in order to fire forwardly the cartridge which has been introduced into the cartridge holder4 By suitable construction of the tension lever h and the controlling lug a2 of the housing,

scribed manner` of allowing the tensioning to take place onlyr upon the running forward of the closure, is however more advantageous. Then the available path for the return of the closure element is not shortened by the backward movement of the hammer, and also no part of the momentum is withdrawn from the closure element, which, namely upon shooting with a great elevation, just suffices to return the closure element in opposition to the force ofthe forwardly moving spring to eject the fired-ofi` shell and to feed in a new cartridge, to a suflicient distance backwards.

In place of the previously described forward run firing, wherein the tension hammer is released directly by the moving of the closure element into its forward end position in the housing of the firearm, an indirect firing could also occur by means of a locking element which still holds the hammer under tension when the closure of the cooking device is closed. For this purpose, as shown in Fig. 4 in dot and dash lines, it would be possible to insert in front of the housing strip or lug a2 which swings the tension lever h into its tensed position, a locking element a, disengageable by means of the trigger.

I claim as my invention:

1. Automatic firearm comprising a hammer, a closure element, a trigger element and a single spring which drives the closure element into its closing position and simultaneously drives the hammer forward into tiring position, the trigger being located between the hammer and the closure element, said hammer and closure element each having bearing surfaces between which the trigger exerts a wedge action to drive them apart a distance equal to the necessary travel of the hammer for firing.

2. Firearm in accordance with claim 1, wherein the trigger element serves at the same time as a locking device for the cartridge feed, and suitable guide means in the firearm whereby the same is held in the tensed position given thereto, holding the closure element and the hammer pressed apart, up to the point where the closure element moves into its forward end position in the firearm.

3. Firearm in accordance with claim 1, comprising guide means whereby the trigger is brought into a position in the housing for producing the tensing of the hammer, only upon the return movement of the hammer and the closure element.

4. Firearm in accordance with claim 1, wherein the trigger element is swingably supported in the hammer or the closure element and serves as a tensioning element, and wherein a stationary portion of the weapon coopera-tes therewith to swing it as a, wedge between the hammer and the closure element during the closing movements.

5. Firearm in accordance with claim 1, wherein the trigger element is swingably supported in the hammer or the closure element and serves as a tensioning element, and wherein a stationary projection of the wea-pon housing cooperates therewith to swing it as a wedge between the hammer and the closure element during the closing movements, whereby it is resiliently and yieldably forced into the field of the said projection by the hammer and the spring.

In testimony whereof I alix my signature.

LOUIS STANGE. 

